Home is the Hunter
by finnick-life-ruiner
Summary: This story starts around Issue 50 of Fables, when Bigby returns to the farm to raise his children with Snow. It will be in both their POV's. Probably lots of fluff and maybe some angst. We'll see.
1. Chapter 1

Rose Red stops the car just below the hill that leads to the Valley of the Big Sleepers. I don't care much for her crypticness, but over the years we've grown close again, and I know whatever she's up to, she means well.

I do wish I had better walking shoes, but with the help of my trusty cane I begin my trek up the rocky path, wiggling my heels free when they get stuck in the soft soil.

I reach the top of the hill, which is dotted with bushes and boulders, and a large tree stands in the middle of the hill. As I approach, a shadowy figure is standing against the trunk.

"Huh? Can it be?" I mutter.

I'm still too far to make it out well, but my heartbeat quickens as I recognize the trench coat and slouchy posture of Bigby Wolf.

"Oh, no. Oh my god…"

It is him. After all these years of absence, he's standing there looking at me as if he doesn't have a care in the world.

"Bigby!" I sprint to him, as best as I can with my heels and my unsteady gait, and I crash into him, wrapping my arms around him, determined to hold on forever.

"Hello Snow." His voice is as gruff and delicious as I remember.

"You came back! You're here. You…"

I gasp and hold him at arm's length. Worry begins to damper our perfect moment together.

"Oh, no! You're not allowed to…" I stammer. "You have to go right now! If they catch you on the farm they'll kill you.

"Settle down, Snow," he chuckles. "You're babbling."

"But-" He presses a gentle finger to my lips to stop my talking.

"I know I'm not allowed on the farm, but _this _isn't the farm."

"Of course it is!"

"Not any longer," he assures me. "From now on, the farm ends where Rose Red dropped you off. This area belongs to _me _now- or us if you like…"

"I don't understand." My head is spinning. None of this makes sense, and I'm beginning to worry that I'm having a very realistic dream.

I grip his arm for support, but also to make sure that he's real and that he's not getting away.

"I bought this land from Fabletown in return for ending a war- or starting one. I guess we'll see… Come on. Take a walk with me. I want to show you a thing or two."

"Wait! There's something I need to- Bigby did our son find you?"

"Of course." he lets go of me. "Ghost, give your mother a kiss."

A breeze blows and ruffles my hair and my dress, and I'm overwhelmed to be reunited with my son and my Bigby. I can't help the tears that start to stream down my face.

_Mommy's crying. Why is she crying Daddy? Did I upset her again?_

"Don't worry son. Those are happy tears, not sad ones."

"You named him Ghost?"

"Seemed to fit." He holds my hand reassuringly. "He'll be safe here. He's learned to keep his existence a secret. You and I are the only living creatures who know about him. We'll have to decide when to introduce him to his brothers and sisters.

He begins to lead me away from the border with the farm.

"So now like I said, let's the three of us go for a walk."

"Hold on," I look back and spot my cane forgotten on the grass. " I need to go back and get my cane."

"No you won't need it." He tugs me along, and I follow. "You can lean on me from now on."


	2. Chapter 2

After probably the most miserable fucking years I've ever lived, I'm finally where I belong. Snow White and my cubs are my home. I can smell their scent on her. And then there's her own. No amount of smoking in the world could ever drown it out, but now I don't ever want to. I could smell her from miles away from the farm, and now that she's holding my arms, right under my fucking nose, it fills me up and makes me lightheaded in the most wonderful way. I want to hold her tightly and kiss her to make up for all of the years we had to spend away. But I can't. Not yet.

We didn't exactly part in the best terms when she refused to run away with me, and though I've found a solution to our dilemma, there's still a part of me that's unsure if she's going to want to live with me now.

"The Valley of the Big Sleepers couldn't be used for anything as long as it was filled up with sleeping giants and dragons." We stand on a cliff with miles and miles of hills and trees spreading out in front of us. "But it's empty now, and pretty roomy as it turns out. Lots of untouched forest."

"Which means the dilemma keeping us apart no longer applies," I say. "I wasn't allowed to ever visit the farm, and because of the nature of the children you weren't allowed to live anywhere _but_ the farm."

"But you can live here, and now that it's officially separate from the farm, so can I."

"Not so fast Bigby," she says. "Since we're in this area, I want you to accompany me to one of the caves. There's something you need to see."

"Uh, Ghost?" Snow smiles at the empty air. "Can you wait here for a little while? Mommy and Daddy need to do something just for grownups. But we'll be right back, okay?"

_Is it lovey stuff? Daddy always made me leave the cabin when he wanted to do lovey stuff with the Sarah lady. _

Snow's smile falters, and she crosses her arms over her chest, a look I am well acquainted with.

I silently curse Ghost for bringing it up; it's not really how I wanted her to find out, and I've grown used to walking on eggshells with the mothers of my children. After all, she's used every excuse in the past to reject my affection.

"Okay," she says simply. "That's a conversation we need to have real soon. But first things first."

She leads me away from Ghost and toward a cliff side peppered with rocks and nooks. Our trek is silent until we arrive at a roomy cave littered with boxes and boxes of stuff.

"You have some work to do before I let you see the kids- our other kids."

She picks up the first dusty box and sets it on a table in front of me.

"First some reading. This box is full of all the letters they wrote you. Each one has a copy of your reply paper clipped to it."

"Then you can unwrap all the presents they sent you for Christmas, Birthday and Father's Day." She points to a large box full of wrapped packages of different sizes. "Make _damn _sure you memorize who gave you what."

"And finally, we'll go over every gift you sent them, so it doesn't come as a complete surprise to you when they mention it."

"Got it," I say.

Momma Snow is not very different from Deputy Mayor Snow. I would find it more amusing if it wasn't so heartbreaking to see all of the gifts and correspondance I missed from my children over so many years.

"Thank you, Snow," I whisper, though I still feel coldness radiating from her. "For not letting me be a deadbeat father."

"Well, I know you didn't want to be."

She walks out of the cave, and I follow. I'll have to return later tonight to catch up on years of good parenting before I can see my cubs, and I can't wait much longer.

As we near the top of the hill where we first reunited, I pull her hand to stop her for a moment, ready to talk about the elephant in the room so we can finally put it behind us. Because I know Sarah was just a mistake, and every second I spent with her was a painful reminder that she wasn't who I was meant to be with.

"We can talk about her in detail if you like, but the gist is this: Sarah is one of the ways I tried to forget you." Snow looks at me and sighs. Though I'm sure the news bothers her, I can sense she's trying not to hold it against me. "I also tried booze and solitude. Nothing worked. How could it?"

Nothing over the past few years was ever a good enough distraction from losing my family.

"So here it is one last time, and then I'll leave you alone forever if that's what you decide," I tell her. She's rejected me before, and I'm well aware of that as I prepare to bear my heart out to her one last time.

"I love you Snow, and have since the hour we first met. Hell, I wanted you even before then. Even before we existed. As if every movement of every star and planet, every tick of creation's clock occurred only so that we could someday find each other."

"Bigby, I-"

But I can't let her stop me now, because I'm in too deep, and I need to make her understand that we are _meant _to be together. Because after centuries of trying my fuckign hardest to forget her, and after getting rejected time and time again by the only woman I've ever loved, I am still helpless against her. She's the only person that can control me, and the only one I would ever want to. She's the reason I try to be a better person, someone worthy of her affection. And I knew this from the first second I lay eyes of her all those years ago when I was nothing more than a bad wolf feared by every fable.

"I'm certainly no handsome prince come to steal you away from all the cares in the world."

I grab her shoulders gently and pull her closer to me, because I want her to meet my eyes and believe how serious I am about all of this.

"I can never offer you riches or palaces or any sort of luxury," I say. "But I think you've had your fill of such things by now."

Snow's brows are furrowed, but she doesn't look away, and I can hear her heart fluttering inside her chest. I can see the conflict within her.

"What I can offer you is a home in _our _valley, where we can raise _our _children." Her lips twitch ever so slightly. "And I'm old-fashioned enough that I think we should be married to do it."

She watches me silently, and I swear I'm going to lose my mind if I have to wait another second for her response.

"I think that's your cue to say something now."

"Okay, you've defeated me," she sighs. "You win."

She places a soft hand on my neck, and we kiss. After centuries of begging and hoping for a chance to prove myself to her, I finally get to taste her lips, and I swear every miserable second was worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

We break up our first kiss (that I can remember) and despite being the son of the North Wind, for the first time in my life I feel breathless. I can tell she feels the same.

I rest my forehead against hers and breathe deeply.

"I knew you'd give in eventually."

She smiles and slap my arms.

"Don't get cocky, now, Mr. Wolf. I have plenty of time to change my mind."

"That's not funny." But despite my best efforts, I can't help but smile.

"Rose Red is waiting for me," she says still holding onto me tightly.

"Go. I have a lot of reading to do," I say. "I'll see you when it's time to see the kids."

"Yeah, I should probably prepare them for this. They've been waiting so long."

I frown.

"If I hadn't been so hard to find I could've returned sooner."

Snow quiets me with a kiss.

"That doesn't matter anymore. I'll see you soon, Bigby."

I watch her leave down the same path she first came, and once she's out of sight I sigh and head back in the direction of the cave.

_Why are you sad, Daddy?_

"I'm not sad," I say. "I just missed her, that's all."

_I missed her too. _

"Come on, Ghost. Let's go read up about your siblings."

He lifts me up playfully and whizzes past ahead of me.

"Wait up."

The cave is a lot more depressing now that Snow is not here with me. The lantern casts a dim glow over everything, bright enough to allow me to read.

I start with the letters. There are hundreds of them. Some are only a few sentences long while others go on for pages. I can tell pretty soon which of my cubs take after their mother from the way they write.

"_When are you coming home, Daddy? We all turned five today, and I was hoping you'd come visit. We love your gifts though. We've all been trying really hard to control our shapeshifting so that someday we can leave the farm. I'd like to come visit you, so I'm going to try my very very best to be good and look like a human girl"_

"_Hi dad. Boy Blue was telling us all sorts of stories about you today. Is it true you saved Fabletown from a bunch of wooden soldiers? I wish I could have seen that. I hope I grow up as strong and brave as you. I wish you were here to teach me how to fight." _

There were also the replies Snow had forged and sent to them, God bless her.

"_Dear Blossom,_

_I'm glad to hear you are trying to control your powers. I'm incredibly proud of all of you, kids. I'm sorry I can't be there for your birthday, but I'm thinking of you everywhere I go. _

_Love, _

_Dad"_

"_Daddy, I'm starting to think you're never coming home. Mommy says I need to be patient, but I have been patient my whole life. I love mommy, but it's hard work keeping us all in check. Not all of my brothers and sisters are as well behaved as I am. And I think she misses you. Sometimes I hear her crying when she thinks we're all asleep. She shows us pictures of you all the time, but I want to see you for real. Pleaseeee come home. _

_Love, Therese"_

_Why are you crying, Dad? _

I hastily wipe the tears I hadn't noticed rolling down my face, though there's no point because they keep coming.

_I'm sorry that you had to be alone all these years. _

"I wasn't alone, buddy. I had you."

Before that cursed camping trip I spent most of my life alone, trying desperately to numb my desire for Snow and the pains of my job. Now I have a whole family... one that I had to abandon for years due to Fabletown's bullshit laws.

"I'm just happy we'll finally be together soon."

_The other cubs will be so happy to meet you. _

"I hope so." I sigh. A soft breeze ruffles my hair, Ghost's unique version of a hug, and I wish I could hug him back. "I'm not really sure how to be a dad."

_That's not true. I think you're the best father a son could ask for. _

"Thanks, buddy. Let's finish unwrapping these presents so we can get out of here."

It takes me a couple hours to get through everything, and a few extra hours of Ghost quizzing me over who gifted me what for what birthday.

_Isn't this lying?_

"Maybe a little," I say. "To be fair I didn't know about it. Your mom just didn't want your siblings to think I didn't care about them."

_So why didn't you let people find you? If you stayed in Fabletown mommy could have visited you and you could have gotten the letters yourself. _

I sigh and look at the little wolf rag doll Winter made for me when she was four. It doesn't really look like a wolf, but loving shitty art is a big part of being a father, or so I've heard.

"It was too hard to stay around, Ghost. I just wanted to escape, I guess."

Frankly I don't know if I would have done anything differently. My bitterness was something I could only deal with away from other people.

"And when Snow refused to run away with me… I guess I decided to run away on my own."

_Well, we get to all live together now, Daddy. _

I smile. "Yes we do."

_And you finally got all the questions right. _

"Your dad's pretty smart, son."

_Sure..._

I roll my eyes. "Come on. Let's go."

I set up camp near the cave. I don't really need a shelter, not that I'd be welcome on the farm, so I find a nice clearing in the woods to catch a few hours of sleep. I fall asleep holding my wolf toy like I'm a little kid myself, but it smells like my daughter, so I don't care how dumb I look.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day I wonder around our valley until it's time for Snow and the kids to meet me. I take note of a few places I want to visit again. There's a lovely lake where we can swim with the children and some secluded spots I can visit with Snow.

At around noon I hear them approach in Rose's old truck.

"It's time, Ghost"

_Woohoo!_

"Remember you have to stay invisible until we tell you it's time."

_Yes, Dad._ He sounds sad, but he's an obedient boy. He's had to be over the past few years with me.

I pace the foot of the hill until Snow and Rose Red arrive tracked by six nervous-looking kids. My kids. After reading their letters for hours on end, I feel like I know them well, but I can smell they're nervous, so I know I need to take things slow. After all, I've been an absent father their entire lives.

Snow hugs me and stands by my side expectantly. I stand awkwardly by her side and take them all in. Every single one of them is perfect.

"How can every single one of you ruffians possibly be shy all of a sudden?" Snow asks exasperated. "You've seen his pictures and read his letters. Come and meet your father."

The kids stay put a few feet away from me. They're all quiet, even though I could hear them screaming and shouting on their way over.

I squat down so I'm at their level and offer a smile.

"It's very nice to see all of you," I say. "I haven't seen you since you were little cubs floating around all over the place."

A couple of them smile, but they stay bundled together.

"Okay, I'm going to sit down here so we can talk if you want." I drop down cross-legged on the grass and watch them expectantly.

Winter takes a small step forward. "Is that Mr. Wolfie?" She's pointing at my coat pocket where her doll is peaking out. I pull it out and offer it to her.

"I have all of the presents you sent me. I can show them all to you later."

She steps closer to examine the doll.

"Did you really like it?" she asks timidly.

"I love it very much."

Winter smiles and inches forward again while her siblings watch, though they seem more relaxed now.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"You don't look like a big bad wolf."

"You don't look much like a wolfling right now either," I chuckle.

She closes the distance between us so that we're standing face to face.

"Can I give you a hug?" She whispers.

I smile and nod my head slightly. Her arms wrap around my neck and I hold her in mine. I can sense Snow crying behind me and the children watching intently. My heart could burst right now.

After a few seconds the children behind her start inching forward as well.

"I want to hug dad too," whines Therese.

"Winter, you had your turn," says Ambrose.

"My arms are big enough to hug you all," I say, at which point they run forward and fall on top of me.

I lay back on the grass with a litter of kids holding onto me for dear life, and I swear it might be the happiest moment of my life.

They giggle and squirm as I wrap my arms around them. Even Ghost joins in with a light breeze.

"Can you fit mommy too?"

"Always."

Snow smiles and drops herself on top of the children, who all scream and laugh and try to break free from their parent sandwich.

"Welcome home, Bigby."


End file.
